The United States is not betraying Europe. This is what the U.S. Secretary of Defense said during the second meeting in Brussels on Ukraine. In his response, Pete Hegseth stated that Europe must take responsibility for its own fate in the face of Putin’s military machine.
“When it comes to defense spending, even 2% of GDP is not enough. Three, four, and ultimately, as the president said, 5% of defense spending is critical. This is a realization because there is a Russian war machine aimed at taking more and more land in Ukraine. And standing against this is an important course for the United States, just as it has been an important time for the U.S. My role as the representative of the United States is to speak realistically about the course of that conflict. And I think you saw it yesterday from President Trump, who himself is the best negotiator on the planet, bringing the two sides together to find a negotiated peace. There is no betrayal here.
There is an acknowledgment that the whole world and the United States are invested and interested in peace, a negotiated peace, as Trump has said, stopping the killing. And so, this will require both sides to recognize things they do not want. That is why I think the world is lucky at this moment, the powers will bring peace, and this is a welcome sign,” said the secretary.
